For Jewish-style deli with ‘big, ridiculous sandwiches’ and great Ethiopian and Colombian eats, explore Seattle’s Pinehurst neighborhood

Zylberschteins delicatessen and bakery

Wednesday 8 am-3pm, Thursday 8 am-2pm, Friday-Sunday 8 am-3pm; 11752 15th Avenue NE, Seattle; zylberschtein.com

The Skokie ($ 20) at Zylberschtein is hardly a sandwich; it’s more of an unruly pile of corned beef and coleslaw, nowhere near tamed by the buttered rye bread slices.

The frankel ($ 13.75) is smaller but still beefy, with two fried eggs, pastrami, and melted cheddar wrapped between halves of a bagel.

Zylberschtein’s is a deli and bakery that serves breakfast items, pastries, bread, bagels, whole cakes, and Jewish delicacies such as homemade pastrami and corned beef. And there is even a “bagel club” that offers a home delivery service. But it shines with what owner Josh Grunig calls his “big, ridiculous sandwiches,” like the Skokie and the Frankel, the types of giants that make every major Jewish deli shop.

Grünig grew up in San Francisco without a large Jewish community – there was only one other Jewish family at his high school, he says. He graduated from the San Francisco Baking Institute and moved to Seattle to work as a night manager at Grand Central Bakery before starting his own bread business. In 2016, he opened Standard Bakery in Pinehurst, which mainly sold sourdough and croissants.

But Grunig says he’s always been interested in Jewish delicacies – the ones with the bagels and ridiculous sandwiches that can be found all over New York but are hard to find in the Bay Area or Seattle. Nostalgic for the food he ate with his family as a child, he turned the Standard Bakery into Zylberschtein’s in 2018. He says it’s not a traditional Jewish deli (it’s not kosher), but many of the recipes come from the family. And it’s named after his mother’s surname, which officials abbreviated to “stone” when they immigrated through Ellis Island.

Grunig makes special breads or pastries for certain Jewish holidays: round challah with raisins for Rosh Hashana, sufganiyah (Jewish jelly donuts) for Hanukkah and matzo bread for Passover.

Grunig’s bread background is evident in the bagel on the Fränkel – chewy, with a rich wheat taste and a hint of sourdough starter that holds up against the spicy, super-tender pastrami that is smoked for 12 hours.

And the caraway seeds in rye bread add a layer of aniseed sweetness to the flavors of corned beef and Swiss cheese.

At Zylberchtein’s, there is currently only takeaway food out of the window, but there is a covered outdoor area in front of the deli with a few tables and a counter where guests can eat. Grünig says it often sells out early, especially on Jewish holidays and weekends, so order online if you want to try his sandwiches.

Damn cafe

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 11 am-8.30pm, Saturday 11 am-9pm; 1510 NE 117th St .; jebenacafe.com

Jebena Cafe is a family run restaurant – since opening 10 years ago, owner Mesfin Ayele has said that the only people who have made sour wheels out of injera, aromatic beef tibs and the other Ethiopian dishes on the menu are himself, his sister and his are mother.

The menu is packed with lamb, beef and chicken dishes, served with injera, the sour, spongy flatbread that’s a staple in Ethiopia. But there are also great options for vegans (all of the vegetarian options on the menu are vegan too, says Ayele.) The café also roasts its own Ethiopian coffee, which you can sip in the small dining room after your meal.

The “vegetarian combo” ($ 16) comes with a selection of vegetable and lentil dishes on a 2 foot wide injera wheel. The cabbage is crispy, contrasting super soft potato pieces. The red and yellow lentils are subtly sweet and tangy, and the Shiro Wat (a mixed chickpea dish) is one level spicier, with a rich tomato flavor and a hint of Ethiopian cardamom – a popular spice in Ethiopia, with more bite than the more common ones green cardamom.

The “Meat Combination 2” with lamb, beef and buttermilk cheese as well as all dishes of the vegetarian combination also provides variety. The kitfo, made from ground beef, burns the tongue with spicy Berbere spice (which also contains Ethiopian cardamom) and soothes with butter. And the Qey Wot adds a spark of raw jalapeño and tomato to minced lamb.

Tip: You won’t get a fork, so wash your hands before eating and scoop the food into your mouth with bits of injera.

The Colombian patch

11 am-10pm Wednesday-Sunday; 11740 15th Avenue NE; elparchecolombiano.com

The empanadas ($ 7.99) at El Parche Colombiano are something to celebrate. When fried, the cornmeal batter crunches and flakes under your teeth before giving way to a soft mixture of potatoes and beef. Sprinkle them with flavorful, light aji and you have a snack to eat all day.

El Parche Colombiano offers empanadas and other Colombian dishes from a restaurant in a Pinehurst mall that also has a full bar.

Beyond the empanadas, the Bandeja Paisa ($ 16.99) is a great choice for meat lovers with a spread of grilled rock steak, chorizo, ground beef, and a large piece of chicharrón (fried pork skin) with an arepa (cornmeal cake), beans, sweet plantains, avocado and a fried egg.

And the sancocho ($ 12.99) is a satisfying stew made from tender beef, green plantain, yucca, potatoes, and a slice of corn on the cob, served with rice and avocado. The broth is thick with starch and flavorful from the plantain.

Jade Yamazaki Stewart:
jstewart@seattletimes.com; Jade Yamazaki Stewart is an intern at the Seattle Times. You can reach him at jstewart@seattletimes.com or on Instagram at @jade_vs_food.